“Free Speech, Free Press, Free Society” is the theme of this year’s Law Day celebrations in Franklin and Hampshire counties.
Sponsors are the Office of Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, plus Franklin and Hampshire counties bar associations.
The Franklin County event isTuesday, April 30, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Greenfield Community Collegein the Dining Commons, 1 College Drive; the Hampshire County event is Wednesday, May 1, 9-11 a.m. in the Old Superior Courtroom at the Hampshire County Courthouse, 15 Gothic St. in Northampton.
Panels of experts at both events will address this year’s theme. Student scholarship winners will be recognized at the Franklin County event. At the Hampshire County event, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School students will perform skits.
Established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and designated in 1961 by a joint resolution of Congress to take place May 1, Law Day celebrates the rule of law. According to the American Bar Association, “Law Day underscores how law and the legal process contribute to the freedoms that all Americans share” and “provides an opportunity to recognize the role of courts in this democracy and the importance of jury service to maintaining the integrity of the courts.”
Nationwide, Law Day events take place on or around May 1.
“Law Day is a great opportunity for the public and students to learn more about the foundations of our justice system,” Sullivan said.
Greenfield Community College Dean of Humanities Leo Hwang will moderate a panel discussion in Franklin County with panelists: Karen Brown, a New England Public Radio senior reporter; Shaheen Pasha, journalist and senior lecturer at the UMass journalism department; and Greenfield Recorder Editor Joan Livingston.
In Hampshire County, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Ponsor and Attorney Jeffrey Pyle will speak on a Pioneer Valley Performing Arts student-moderated panel. PVPA students will perform skits; court tours will wrap up the day.
For information and to register school groups, contact Laurie Loisel at laurie.loisel@state.ma.us or Christine Baronas at fcbar@franklincountybar.org